Epic has emphasised that this will not be a new Fortnite, but a version of the current battle royale game "optimised to take advantage of the new hardware and features on next-gen consoles."

More details on what these optimisations include will be released closer to launch. Both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are currently due to be released by the end of the year.

Epic also clarified that the PS5 and Series X versions of Fortnite will initially be powered by Unreal Engine 4, same as the other editions on current platforms.

The company plans to migrate the game to Unreal Engine 5 in mid-2021.

Accounts will carry over and Epic will continue supporting the development of Fortnite for current-gen devices.

The company added: "We intend to support cross-play across all platforms, including current and next-generation consoles."

Alongside the Unreal Engine 5 announcement, the firm also revealed it was working on an Epic Online Services SDK that will enable other developers to support cross-play, and will no longer take royalties from Unreal-powered games until they generate $1 million in revenue.